Group 6: Local authority meetings (Amendments 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 77, 12, 13, 14, 15, 118, 16, 17, 18, 70, 4, 5, 50, 51, 52, 72, 53)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:25 pm on 10 November 2020.

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Photo of Mark Isherwood Mark Isherwood Conservative 6:25, 10 November 2020

Well, if Members of the Senedd believe that members of councils in remote attendance at meeting should be enabled to vote in the event that facilities enabling remote attendance fail, then they must vote for amendment 118, which places a duty on principal councils to prepare and publish a procedure for this. The amendment also voids any meeting where technical problems prevent voting unless an alternative voting procedure has been agreed. It is, of course, important that elected members are able to fully discharge their duties so they're given equal opportunities to influence decision making. This amendment, therefore, seeks to ensure that alternative emergency voting procedures are put in place to ensure that all members are able to discharge their duties, whether they're attending a meeting physically or remotely, just like us. This amendment complements the Welsh Government's amendments by requiring local authorities to prepare and publish a procedure to enable members in remote attendance to vote in the event that any of the facilities enabling remote attendance fail during voting time. It's plain common sense. Diolch.